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The third edition of international rugby sevens in Sabah sees 20 teams vying for glory in the tropical Malaysian state this weekend.

The 12 men’s teams contest round two of the ARFU Asian Sevens Series while four Asian teams join another four from the Pacific in the second annual Asia Pacific women’s tournament.

The ambitious Sabah Rugby Union wants to use the event, at the Likas Stadium in Kota Kinabalu, to launch a bid to host a leg of the IRB Sevens World Series and Government support to return it to Malaysia has already been forthcoming.

"I feel honoured and proud that our capital city Kota Kinabalu has become an important stop in the international and Asian rugby calendar," said Yab Datuk Seri Panglima Musa Haji Aman, Chief Minister of Sabah. "This is a milestone in the history of Sabah sports and it is my hope that we continue to deliver only the highest standards, turning Sabah into a destination known for this important sporting event.”

Kuala Lumpur hosted the IRB Sevens in 2001 and 2002 and a tournament on the Asian series, following previous events in 2009 and 2010, aims to be the appetiser for the main course for Sabah.

"The International Rugby Board has once again given the confidence to Sabah to host an important leg of the Asian Rugby Sevens Series," said the Minister. "This is clear testimony that Sabah lived up to expectations on two previous occasions and it is clear that the world governing body for rugby has fully placed their trust in Sabah’s ability to play host.

"We believe that with a stadium in place, Sabah’s bid to host a World Series tournament here will be strengthened and I am confident that a World Series event right here in Sabah will give sports in Sabah a tremendous boost.

The building of a rugby-specific stadium in the city is part of the plan.

“On our part, the Sabah Government through the Sabah Ministry of Youth and Sports, has allocated a piece of prime land for the construction of a special 8,000-seat rugby stadium. The stadium is expected to be built under the 10th Malaysia Plan and is proof that the Government supports rugby.”

Sabah is blessed with natural wonders such as islands, beaches, coral reefs, rivers, wetlands, forests and mountains and is rich with outstanding biodiversity. It has become a favourite of adventure enthusiasts from around the world with the highest mountains in South-East Asia and some of the best dive spots in the world.

It is also the home of over 30 different indigenous groups speaking more than 80 languages and dialects and fauna such as the protected orang utan and the unique proboscis monkey.

On the field, Korea and Hong Kong, winners and runners-up respectively of the recent Shanghai Sevens, round one of the Asian series, will be favoured in the men’s competition.

Korea are the top seeds in Pool A while Hong Kong are seeded top of Pool B and Japan, who beat Kazakhstan 26-7 to finish third in Shanghai last month, head Pool C.

Hong Kong is the defending champion in Sabah after beating Japan 31-28 in the rain-sodden final 12 months ago, and Rowan Varty, the 25-year old who is about to start a law career, captains the side.

Loose forward Nick Hewson wins his first rugby sevens cap for Hong Kong after playing in Asian Five Nations campaign earlier this year.

Dai Rees, coach of Hong Kong, wants to improve on the Shanghai performance.

“We made a good start in Shanghai but we failed to complete the job in the final with some poor decision-making when we were up 17-5 in the closing minutes against Korea,” said Rees. “The team knows we are capable of winning in Borneo but only if we are focused and work hard for the duration of the tournament and in every game.

“A win will give us the top spot on the Asian Sevens Series so there is everything to play for.”

The results in Shanghai and Sabah will determine the Asian qualifiers for next year’s Hong Kong Sevens with the top seven teams getting the nod. Non-ranking tournaments are also scheduled for Bangkok (Thailand) and Goa (India) later in 2011.

Three pools of four will play on day one (Saturday) while day two sees knock-out matches to determine the final rankings for the Asian Sevens Series.

Meanwhile, the eight women’s teams will look to the international competition to continue their development ahead of the Olympic Games in 2016.

China, who beat defending Kazakhstan 19-10 to win the women’s competition in Shanghai, start as favourites. Kazakhstan, who are the Asian Games Sevens champions and won in Kota Kinabalu 12 months ago, will not make the trip this year.

Hong Kong, who finished fourth behind Thailand at Shanghai, will also be a contender.

Samoa and Papua New Guinea lead the Pacific assault after the ‘Manu Sina’ claimed the silver medal (behind Fiji) and PNG the bronze at the Pacific Games in New Caledonia earlier this month.

Joanna Logana, aged 22, starred for PNG in Noumea with her pacy running and will be a player to watch.

The Cook Islands finished fifth at the Pacific Games while Tonga did not attend.

Nick Jordan is in Sabah thanks to Sabah Tourism.

Asian Sevens Series (Men): Malaysia, Brunei, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, Kazakhstan, South Korea, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, UAE

Asia Pacific Women Sevens: Malaysia, China, Cook Islands, Hong Kong, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Singapore, Tonga